The weekly newsletter of the Mexico Solidarity Project

Every issue archived online at mexicosolidarityproject.org

February 12, 2025

US Principle #1: White Makes Right

Meizhu Lui, for the editorial team

Have you noticed that Trump now has white hair? He’s letting his true color — or lack thereof — show up on his head. White.

America, the name the US grandiosely calls itself, became “great” — that is, the richest and most powerful country in the world — by three extreme acts of white supremacist violence and theft. First, waves of migrant settlers from Europe stole the land and its resources from the indigenous Native American peoples, decimating them in the process. Bows and arrows were no match for guns.

Second, the colonists imported massive numbers of Africans, not as workers but as property, like shovels or mules. Slave labor produced enormous wealth for white plantation owners and shipping companies, which became the basis for the burgeoning early US economy. Not only did Blacks produce wealth through their labor, but slave owners used Black women to produce more Africans to be sold at high prices in the slave markets. The brutality required to stop “property” from asserting that they were actually humans is the stuff of horror movies.

Third, in an invasion based on lies, the US used its superior firepower to defeat Mexico and annex nearly one half of Mexico’s land and its people. The Mexican-American War gave the nascent US economy not only mineral resources, fertile farmlands and a workforce; it offered a port on the Pacific. With this war they achieved — as planned and as justified by declaring that God himself (obviously a white fellow) decreed it — the capacity to transport and ship goods from sea to shining sea.

The European migrants who settled North America executed a trifecta of white domination. Theft and violence against people of color elevated the US from a small developing capitalist country to the world’s number one superpower.

Like Trump’s hair, the true color of US world domination is now plain to see. White.

For a deeper dive into current news and analysis in English, check out our media website. And definitely see the new English podcast ¡Soberanía! (Sovereignty) with José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth.

Don’t miss an issue! Sign up for a free Mexico Solidarity Bulletin subscription.

For the Good of All, But Migrants Come First

What does Mexico think about Trump’s plan to deport Mexican migrants working in the US?

Trump supporters forget who put food on the table during the most challenging times of the COVID crisis. We are the ones who cultivate the land, and we come to the US not to become citizens but because our people have a long and deep memory, and this is the land of our ancestors. We did not cross the border, the border crossed us.

The violence we face in Mexico is also a consequence of the War on Drugs and the firearms industry, both rooted in US policies and practices. US citizens have a voracious appetite for illegal drugs, and US companies provide weapons used by the drug cartels, the police and the military alike. The cycle of violence we experience begins and ends in the United States.

The threat of deportation invokes immense sorrow — to see our people separated from loved ones and sent to places where they may never have lived.

Separated at US border, Guatemalan father and son are reunited.  Photo: John Moore, Getty Images

What can Mexico do?

Mexicans have a valuable ally: the National Regeneration Movement (Morena). Undocumented migrants are often among the most impoverished people of Mexico and frequently have intersecting identities, such as being Indigenous or having a non-binary gender identity. Morena plays a vital role in organizing committees that advocate for those most in need; currently, the party has several such committees that will now focus specifically on defending the rights of undocumented migrants.

We also advocate for individuals from other countries, not just Mexicans, as they are our brothers and sisters. This solidarity acknowledges a shared colonial past marked by the exploitation of our Latin American peoples and territories. 

La presidenta nacional de MORENA Luisa María Alcalde Photo: Nahum Delgado / El Sol de San Luis \n

Morena is led by Luisa Alcalde, a skilled leader dedicated to expanding the organization’s membership to 10 million registered members. I have been assigned to implement this effort outside of Mexico, specifically in the United States, where 96% of Mexicans living abroad reside. This will allow for a unified activism in defending the principles of the Fourth Transformation (4T) on both sides of the border.

It has also set up centers at our border to help deported migrants and has identified 50,000 jobs that can provide immediate employment. Also, the government will help connect returning Mexicans with their family members, including providing them with transportation.

How do US views on migration and Mexico’s differ?

While the white supremacist movement has gained traction in the USA, the humanist movement has become more popular in Mexico. Former president López Obrador’s central message was, “For the good of all, but the poor come first.”

Our president, Claudia Sheinbaum, continues that directive. She defines migrants, as AMLO did, as people who may be poor but who are Mexico’s “heroes.” 

The Mexican government views migration as a right and a logical response to the structural inequalities and violence that characterize the Narco State. This was the legacy of the neoliberal era when the Mexican government sold off national wealth in exchange for bribes as if we were a colony.

Mexican people are laborers, and the US has profited from condemning millions of migrant workers to the shadows. The extreme speech of “Make America Great Again” ignores the migrant contribution and deserves an extreme response. That means organizing disadvantaged people to come out of the shadows.

Should Mexicans continue trying to pursue their dreams in the US?

Latinos start 82% of all businesses in the United States Source: US Chamber of Commerce

I want Mexicans in the US to know — you are not alone. We have a patriotic government led by Morena, a political party dedicated to defending its people. Because of the deportation crisis, for now, we must say, “For the good of all, but migrants come first."

Governing From the Left

Nancy Ortiz Ochoa writes a regular column for the Sentido Común online magazine. She’s been a teacher, school director, founder of a rural school and a passionate advocate for children and youth. She has presented at numerous conferences on feminism, education, and social development.

Today, no one can ignore that the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) is a winning project. As such, many people have joined us, individuals with firm ideas and convictions who are hoping to contribute to Mexico’s transformation. But others may join Morena simply because they are seeking government jobs, not knowing or caring that it’s primarily a left-wing project seeking deep and broad social change.

We’ve seen individuals who campaigned as candidates of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the National Action Party (PAN) or the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD)— all neoliberal conservatives — register six months later to run as Morena candidates for elected offices!

I see several reasons for this: perhaps they quickly changed their ideology, or don’t know Morena is a left-wing project, or believe it’s an easy way to get a government position. Or, worse still, they are Trojan horses planning to undermine our project from within. This problem has generated many disagreements within Morena. The founding militants are highly suspicious of individuals who participated directly in consolidating neoliberal policies and plundering the nation, or who even now are openly right-wing and conservative.

The openness of Morena, the largest party in Mexico today, to accepting new members reflects well on its democratic and pluralist ideals. For people to join a winning movement can be positive; it’s not bad that the Party is growing. What’s bad is that some people are joining without assuming the responsibilities that come with a left-wing project. That is, a project that focuses more on collective efforts than individual ones and prioritizes the interests of the majority over those of the wealthy minority. Morena’s purpose is to govern for all people, but mainly for those who have been excluded and relegated to the bottom of the economic, political and social system. The left must always work to improve living conditions for the majority to build a more just, democratic and egalitarian society.

Morena’s influence has reached into most of Mexico, but the right wing still has power in some parts of the country. They almost always oppose urban planning and promote privatization of resources and services, whether it be the water supply, public sanitation or land use. They appropriate public space for private projects, leaving the public streets without trees, benches or garbage cans. And rarely do they support creating parks or recreational spaces. The right-wing vision never considers the good of the majority of the Mexican people.

Morena must do more to safeguard its left-wing principles if its intention is to transform history, not to repeat it.

Recent news reports and commentaries, from progressive and mainstream media,
on life and struggles on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Compiled by Jay Watts.

Mexico and US agree to economic dialogue, Mexican official says Reuters. Mexican and U.S. officials agreed to ongoing and open dialogue on economic issues like strengthening regional supply chains and the traceability of foreign investment on Wednesday, a senior Mexican official told Reuters.

Miguel Badillo, USAID, brazo de la CIA para intervenir gobiernos, medios de comunicación, periodistas, ONGs, AC y derechos humanos El Independiente. USAID la oficina para América Latina y el Caribe es la que otorga el mayor financiamiento a varias organizaciones que instrumentaron proyectos contra el primer gobierno de la 4T.

Raúl Romero, Trump and the Crisis of Hegemony in the United States Orinoco Tribune. México and Latin America will play a central role in the resistance and in the creation of alternatives. It is the time to believe, and to create the future today.

Gerardo Hernández, La reducción de la jornada laboral va y es prioridad: Geovanna Bañuelos El Economista. Movimiento Ciudadano (MC), Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (Morena) y el Partido del Trabajo (PT), son las fuerzas políticas que han buscado reactivar la discusión sobre la reducción de jornada laboral.

Jesus Mesa, Trump and Musk Find Unexpected Ally in Push to Shut Down USAID Newsweek. During a press conference on Tuesday, Sheinbaum voiced support for shutting down USAID, criticizing the agency's role in funding organizations she described as working against Mexican interests. "It's involved in so many things that, honestly, it's better if they just shut it down.

Emir Olivares y Néstor Jiménez, EU debe hacer su parte para reducir la demanda y distribución de drogas: Sheinbaum La Jornada. “A los jóvenes educación, cultura, deporte, empleo, derechos, no guerras como las de (Felipe) Calderón. Atendemos las causas, brindamos los derechos al pueblo de México que le fueron arrebatados durante todo el periodo neoliberal, y hacemos trabajo con la Guardia Nacional, la Secretaría de Seguridad, los gobiernos de los estados, la Fiscalía General de la República y esperamos que el Poder Judicial haga su trabajo y no libere delincuentes”.

Tallis Boerne Marcus, 50,000 jobs, social programs, and medical centers: Mexico’s response to Trump’s deportation threats People’s Dispatch. Mexico prepares to support its deported citizens through comprehensive programs while navigating ongoing political challenges.

Un año del Plan C de AMLO Sin Embargo. Ha pasado ya un año. El 5 de febrero de 2024, poco antes del arranque de las campañas de la elección más grande de la historia de México, el entonces Presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador presentó un paquete de reformas constitucionales, 20.

Ecuadorian Tariffs on Mexican Products Have Minimal Impact: Sheinbaum Telesur English. On Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum downplayed the impact of the 27% tariffs that Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa imposed on Mexican products.

Viri Ríos, Volvernos China Milenio. Como ocurre con muchos de los artículos de Ríos, este tiene algunos elementos intrigantes para la discusión, pero está plagado de algunas suposiciones: México puede estar bajo presión para expulsar a las empresas chinas, pero la integración norteamericana es un callejón sin salida, mientras que el camino más beneficioso de la integración latinoamericana requiere mantener fuertes vínculos con la República Popular.

The Mexico Solidarity Project brings together activists from various socialist and left organizations and individuals committed to worker and global justice. We see the 2018 election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president of Mexico as a watershed moment. AMLO and his progressive Morena party aim to end generations of corruption, impoverishment, and subservience to US interests. Our Project supports not just Morena, but all Mexicans struggling for basic rights, and opposes US efforts to undermine organizing and Mexico’s national sovereignty.

Editorial committee: Meizhu Lui, Bruce Hobson, Agatha Hinman, Victoria Hamlin, Courtney Childs, Pedro Gellert.  To give feedback or get involved yourself, please email us!

Web page and application support for the Mexico Solidarity Project from NOVA Web Development, a democratically run, worker-owned and operated cooperative focused on developing free software tools for progressive organizations.